Process of making nickel formate



, following is a specification.

CETQE E ELLIS, 0F MONTCLAIB, NEW JERfiEY.

PBQGESS 033 MAKING NICKEL FORMATE.

No Drawing.

T0 dl whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, CAnLnroN ELLIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Processes of Making Nickel Formats. of which the This invention relates to a process of making nickel formats suitable for use in the manufacture of catalyzer for the hydrogenation of oils and the like and relates especially to the preparation of this nickel salt by reacting on nickel sulphate with sodium formats or other suitable soluble salt or formic acid. In making a nickel catalyzersiderable manipulation and expense espe-' cially as the rea ents employed are more costly than the nickel sulphate and sodium formate used directly in accordance with the present invention; so that the process herein involves a cheapening of the cost of manufacture of nickel formate of good quality.

In order to bring about substantially complete reaction between nickel sul hate and sodium formats hot solutions shoud be used 'and are best heated to boiling. The concenployed in the preferred procedure of the present invention sufficiently clear to enable the invention to be readily practiced. 280 lbs. of nickel sulphate are dissolved in about 250 lbs. of boiling water and the solution filtered. 160 lbs. of sodium formats which in the ordinary commercial form contains sodium carbonate is dissolved in '150 lbs. of boiling water and the solution neutralized with formic acid and then filtered.v Coma strength Application filed March'21, 1921. Serial No. 453.9%.

mercial formic acid of strengtnmay be used for this neutralization step. The filtered solutions of nickel sulphate and sodium formate are mixed and water added to bring the strength to about 22 B. The solution is then boiled and concentrated to a strength of 3738 Be, at this point the major portion of the nickel formate will be found deposited from the solution. The latter is then filtered as for example by pumping through a filter press or inany other suitable manner and the nickel formate is vashed with cold water until the wash waters are substantiallyfree from sodium sulphate. The material may be dried at 212220 F. and will dry at this temperature without darkening. From the foregoing procedure a yield of 151 lbs. of nickel formats or approximately of the theoretical quantity was obtained in the form of the high grade salt suitable for use in the hydrogenation of oils. Df course the residual liquors contain additional quanties of the formate and these liquors may be worked up in the course of the manufacturing operation to utilize their saline values. A catalyzer made from nickelrformate prepared as above was tested for catalytic activity and was found to be highly active.

- During the boiling down or concentration of the nickel formats solution as set forth above the strength of the solution should be determined with nickel formate in suspension. For example when the stren h uni der these conditions reaches 37-38 Be. it will be found that the clear solution will show more nearly v approximatin 324-33? If the concentration is carrie beyond 38 B. sodium sulphate is thrown out of solution and is very diiiicult to wash out without a substantial loss I of nickel.

formate.

It' is preferable that the nickel formate be filtered from the mother liquor while hot otherwise sodium sulphate will crystallize from the solution. In fact at the strength given above it is essential that filtration be carried out hot .in order to avoid the formation of sodium sulphate.

The product thus obtained is in the form of minute crystalsand when dry may be readily brushed through a sieve having meshes to the inch.

According to the foregoing therefore it' will be observed that in carrying out the viii sodium formate are alllowed to react in approximately flieir molecular proportions and sulphate is maintained iar el in solution 7 the essential feature being Lo carry the concentraiiion as Mr as possible in yield ihe maximum amount of nickel formats and ot' the some l'sime not to oversee point at which sodium sulphate separates and contaminates the nickel formats.

Variations in the proportions oi the foregoing are possible '50 a gimme? or less degree end in some cases for ex nole sodium forinate may be used, without (initialization yielding when the crude so .ium. fO illflfififi contains free sodium eeiilxonote certain emounla of nickel CiM GDKiJ-Q, which will be formats (and in 1 m d 1.. Lomooun the m iii-i containseparated with Jei fact may form oouble iormo-earbonate oi" "ell ing cobalt likewise may be used or cobalt or other formates may be prepared in a similar manner.

What I claim is 1. The process-of making nickel foi'nmte adapted for use in the lgqdrogenation of oils which comprises forming a solution containing both nickel. sulphate and sodium formats and concentrating such solution to :2 strength of about 37 lie. to (leposii nickel foi'inntc, in filtering and Washing" iiiL Butter.

2. The process of l'l'lillillg rel fornmte which comprises i-eacti on nickel sulphate With sodium ioi'mate in P ng; solution and concentrating to a, strei 1 of about 337 whereby iiichel formaie prison 1 and separates om solution, iliLGll" washing such sepmated nickel foring and mam. 

